What is Expungement?

Expungement is when the court seals a criminal record. The expunged record is then removed from a public criminal records system and not be accessed by anyone who doesn’t have a search warrant signed by a judge.

If you live in St. Charles County, you can get your record expunged if enough years have passed without reoffending, if it was not a violent offense, and you were a young adult when it happened. This procedure is best approached with the aid of a record expungement attorney in St. Charles county who understands the ins and outs of the system. Wayne T. Schoeneberg is that attorney.

How To File For Expungement?

Under the Missouri law, before you can file for an expungement, you must have paid off your fine, completed probation, or done your time. For a felony expungement, you cannot have reoffended for three years. To be eligible for expungement of a misdemeanor offense, municipal offense, or a minor infraction, or you will have to wait for at least one year.

A petition must be filed in the court of the county where you were charged with a crime to expunge that crime from your record. There is a $250 charge for an expungement petition. The judge may waive the surcharge if you are indigent and unable to pay the cost.

In the petition, you must name as defendants any entities the petitioner believes may have records regarding your offense, violation, and infraction described in the petition.

After the individuals have been served with the petition, §610.140 RSMo states the court “may accept evidence and hear testimony on, and may consider” criteria regarding each listed offense, violation, or infraction.

Defendants have 30 days after being served the petition to object to the expungement petition. The court must hold a hearing within 60 days after the filed objection or 30 days after defendants have been served and there are no objections made.

If the court rules to expunge a conviction, you can maintain that you have not been convicted of the crime that was expunged. However, outlined under §610.140.9 RSMo., the “person granted an expungement must disclose any expunged offense when disclosing information” when you are filling out certain applications.

You could re-file the petition in a year if an expungement petition is denied.  You can also  appeal the court’s decision.

A petitioner could be granted more than one expungement, if that total number does not exceed more than one felony offense and two misdemeanors or ordinance violations that could have resulted in imprisonment.

If you  believe you are eligible for a record expungement, call Wayne T. Schoeneberg P. C. Wayne is  a record expungement attorney in St. Charles County with more than forty years of experience. He will be happy to speak to you about your record and let you know if you qualify. If you do, he will work with you and the courts to have the record sealed so you can move forward with a clean slate.